GREATER KNOXVILLE AND EAST TENNESSEE
Tellico Village, 37774 and 37885
Five thousand acres on the shore of Tellico Lake, with three golf courses, a yacht and country club, and a calendar so full that people move here and immediately get busier.
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OVERVIEW
A village that was drawn before it was built
Tellico Village is a planned community on the western shore of the Tellico Reservoir in Loudon County, about 30 miles southwest of Knoxville. It covers roughly 5,000 acres and holds something over 3,375 occupied homes. It uses two ZIP codes, 37774 and 37885, which is the first practical thing to know, because searching only one shows you part of it.
The idea goes back to the late 1960s and a much larger plan called Timberlake, a planned city that was going to sit along the Tellico Reservoir across three counties. That version never happened. In late 1984 Cooper Communities of Bella Vista, Arkansas was selected to develop a lakeside community here, acquired the site from TVA and the Tellico Reservoir Development Agency in December 1985, and established Tellico Village in 1986. The Cherokee names are everywhere and they are not decoration: Toqua means fish, and Tanasi was the capital of the Cherokee Nation from 1721 to 1730.
Here is what makes this page different from every other one on my site. Tellico Village is not a neighborhood you buy into, it is a whole way of spending your week: three golf courses, a yacht and country club, a recreation center, a beach, dozens of clubs and a social calendar that genuinely fills up. The honest trade off is that it is a governed community with a property owners association and the dues and rules that come with one, and it sits a real drive from Knoxville. If you want that structure and that lake, very little else in East Tennessee competes. If you want to be left alone on five acres, this is not it, and I will happily show you five acres instead.
WHAT IT IS ACTUALLY LIKE
A week in the Village
Morning on the water, because that is the whole point of the address. Tellico Lake is right there and the boat does not have to be a project, it can just be a Tuesday. Later, nine holes on one of the three courses, or tennis and a swim at Chota Recreation Center, or a class you signed up for because somebody at the clubhouse talked you into it.
Somewhere in there the dogs get their turn at Rover Run, two lighted acres with gated large and small areas, which is nicer than what most cities manage. Afternoon at Family Park, where there is a beach and actual sand and a place to put a chair. Dinner at the clubhouse, or fifteen minutes over to Loudon for wine and small plates in a nineteenth century storehouse.
Then there are the clubs, and this is the part people underestimate before they move. There are a lot of them, they are active, and they are the reason people who relocate here from out of state stop feeling like strangers inside a month. I have had clients tell me they came for the lake and stayed for the calendar.
Living in Tellico Village
The places I actually send people. Several of these sit in Loudon or Lenoir City rather than inside the Village, and I have said so where that is the case.
Bring the Dogs
Rover Run Dog Park
158 Cheeyo Way, 37774
About two acres at Tugaloo Park, gated and lighted, with separate large and small dog areas. One of the best dog parks in this part of the state and a real selling point.
Village walking trails
Throughout the Village
Quiet, shaded and everywhere. You will use them more than you expect.
Family Park
Tugaloo Dr, 37774
Lakefront, with room to walk and a place to sit when you get there.
Get Outside
Family Park and beach
Tugaloo Dr, 37774
A sand beach and a swimming area on the lake, with picnic space and a playground. Bring a chair and stay longer than you planned.
Tellico Lake
The reason all of this exists. Boating, paddling and fishing from spring well into the fall.
Community walking trails
Woven through the neighborhoods rather than tacked on at the edge, which makes a real difference in how much you use them.
Eat Local
The Village clubhouses
Dining inside the community, which is genuinely convenient and a big part of how people here spend an evening.
Firefly Lane on Wharf
404 A Wharf St, Loudon, 37774
Wine and small plates in historic downtown Loudon, a short drive out of the Village. My pick for a nicer evening.
Fork and Vine
131 Kelsey Ln, Lenoir City, 37772
Fresh pasta and wood fired pizza over in Lenoir City. Worth the run up the highway.
Coffee, Worth the Short Drive
Coffee Culture
404 Wharf St, Loudon, 37774
Family owned, in one of the old storehouses in downtown Loudon. The closest thing to a proper coffee morning.
Ramblin’ Joe’s Coffee
108 S B St, Lenoir City, 37771
Downtown Lenoir City, independent and open early.
Things to Do
Three golf courses
Inside the Village, with Cherokee names that are worth asking about. If golf is part of why you are moving, this is a very short list of places in East Tennessee that compete.
Chota Recreation Center
145 Awohili Dr, 37774
Tennis, swimming, fitness and programming. This is where a lot of the social life actually happens.
The yacht and country club
Boating on Tellico Lake with the club side of it attached. Ask me how membership works, because it is a real part of the budget conversation.
Shop
Village specialty shops
Small and convenient, for the things you do not want to drive for.
Historic Downtown Loudon
Antiques and locally owned shops in the old storehouses. A pleasant morning out.
Lenoir City and Farragut
Everyday errands up in Lenoir City, and Turkey Creek when you need everything at once.
Give Back Local
The Loudon County Animal Shelter at 250 Jamie Dr, Loudon, 37774 covers this whole county. Adopting is the obvious way in, but a small county shelter runs on donated supplies and volunteer hours just as much, and the Village is full of people with time and a car. If you are relocating here and want to know people fast, this is one of the best doors to walk through.
Ready to call Tellico Village home?
The Village spans two ZIP codes. Pick the one you are searching, or look at both and let me sort out what is actually inside the community.
Questions people actually ask me about Tellico Village
What ZIP code is Tellico Village?
Two of them, 37774 and 37885. Worse, 37774 also covers the town of Loudon, so a cold ZIP search mixes Village listings with small town Loudon houses. That is not a small distinction, they are different products entirely. Send me what you are seeing and I will tell you what is actually inside the community.
Are there association dues?
Yes. This is a governed community with a property owners association, and there are dues plus separate costs attached to the amenities you choose to use. I am not going to quote you a number on a web page, because those change and you deserve the current one in writing. Ask me and we will get the real figures from the association before you write an offer, not after.
How far is it from Knoxville?
About 30 miles southwest. That is a real drive, not a hop, and it is the single biggest thing to be honest with yourself about. If you are still working in Knoxville daily, drive it at your hour before you fall in love. If you are not, the distance stops mattering almost immediately.
Do I need to golf to be happy here?
Not at all, and I say this to almost everyone. There are three courses and they matter to a lot of people, but there is also the lake, the recreation center, the trails, the beach and a very long list of clubs. Plenty of people here have never picked up a club. Tell me what you actually want your week to look like and I will point you at the right part of the Village.
Is lake access included, or do I need waterfront?
This is the question worth asking early. Waterfront, lake view, and a home that uses community water access are three very different price points here, and the amenity structure changes the math again. It is one of the more nuanced buying conversations in the region, which is exactly why I would rather have it with you before you start touring than after.
Thinking about Tellico Village?
Let’s talk before you tour. Between two ZIP codes, association dues and three kinds of lake access, this is a place where an hour of planning saves you a great deal of guessing.
Call or text 865-257-4680 · lily@daileydreamhomes.com